Maybelline: Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

Why, hello! I'm back and almost feeling better. But definitely back! I've missed doing this. I really don't know what happened, and now even my siblings ended up sick. I guess you really have to go trough it once every summer.
Well, today I'm going to review the Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black! What a mouthfull, haha :)

Product file:
- Available in Blackest Black 950, Brown 952, Charcoal 954, Eggplant 956.
- Also comes in Black Gold/Gold Black which is part of the Black Collection*
- Smudge- and water-proof
- Claim: 24-hour wear
- Comes with a brush

I tried to swatch it both lightly and harshly to show how the brush works. It's a bit of a wide brush and is not a firm and angled brush. It's a bit thick and is slighly rounded. That's why I wasn't successfull in applying it smoothly and precise. I had to tug at my skin to be able to make it work for me. I have actually used the brush as a lipliner and it does a way better job doing so! 

As you can see on swatch picture 2 (with my hand) the thickest swatch is the one that does not show any handpalm lines. That's because the rest of the lines are all one stroke, except for this one that is built on a couple of layers. That's the most intense colour you can get, which isn't exactly the best one out there. And it smudges. It's not very clear but between the different strokes, you can see how my skin turned a bit greyish because of that. It smudges but it doesn't move out of place. 

It was actually a bit hard to apply the gel liner because it has a certain strange formula to it. It's defintely creamy, but when you actually try to "take it out" with the brush, it get's the consistency of lacking enough moist to it. I guess it's due to it being oil-free? Maybe. 
I was able to hold it on for 6 hours. It smudged a little bit, but didn't crease. I've had the one in brown before, and it smudged horrendously! 
I've tried better and more affordable brands that have gel eyeliners, so this is not a product that I think any highly off. I don't even know why I got it again since I remember throwing the brown to the bin after using it twice. It was really bad. But this black is better, I won't risk going out with it though.

July GlamBox Breakdown Review

Yeah, I know that I take my time good with reviewing these. I want to do it as good and honestly as possible because these stuff can take their time to give results. Some times it can be other reasons. But yeah, let's start!

My breakdown review of the July GlamBox Kiehl's Edition box.
 

Let's go through what was in the box one more time:

- Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo - 65ml

- Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Moisturiser - 30ml

- Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eyes - 3ml

- Kiehl's Rarre Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque - 5ml

- Kiehl's Superbly Restorative Argan Body Lotion - 5ml

- Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner - 3ml

Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo
 

The smell? Just a delightful and mild coconut smell. Not too overwhelming, just the perfect frequency of faint. There is a special thing about it that I have noticed and read a lot about. But that will wait for another post. It's about the amount of lather genuine shampoos make. And this one just makes the perfect amount of lather unlike my The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Shampoo that is so hard to build up a lather with. 

Despite it being for all hair types, it IS moisturising in a good way. It doesn't overmoisturise at all, and we all know that despite any skin type and hair type; hydration is important. This shampoo is for all hairtypes. 

What I liked the most about it: how shiny and soft it made my hair. I really love this shampoo but it might come with a demanding price tag depending on where you buy it. Nonetheless it's worth it. I will defintely purchase this product and I can actually see myself using it for years.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion

Claims: "Our Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion is a lightweight moisturizing lotion that helps visibly reduce excess oil on skin’s surface, leaving a shine-free and balanced appearance. It is non-greasy, and retains essential moisture in skin for a healthier, rebalanced skin barrier. A complex of hydrating ingredients – Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Antarcticine and Vitamin E – helps keep skin fresh and healthier looking all day.   Oil-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, colorant-free."

A trait many will be grateful for: Being Oil-free, Paraben-free, and fragrance-free. Being it oil-free I know this face lotion is targeted people from normal to oily skin types. I am none of these. In fact I'm combination skin and combination products don't sit too well with me. That's why I buy things that are for combination (to treat areas that are oily) and very dry (all the dry areas) products.

What this product did was irritate my skin. Since I have very dry areas, this lotion just made it all the way worse. When I used it my skin started to itch and I felt a burning sensation (the same one you get when you scrape your skin on asphalt) on my face. I thought that my skin might have a bad day and tried it again the next day. Same problem. Now I left it and I'm going to give it to a friend because it's just useless for me.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye

Claims: "Diminishes the appearance of fine lines, Reduces puffiness, Reduces dark under-eye circles, No parabens, fragrance, mineral oil or silicones." 
In my case I wouldn't really know whether it really does diminish the appearance of fine lines or not,haha. But it does for sure reduce the puffiness after a night of lack of sleep.            

Kiehl's Superbly Restorative Argan Body Lotion

I really like this body lotion. I'm in the process or trying out different body lotions to find something that later on won't overwhelm me with the smell. And this one is perfect! Once you put it on, your skin is immediately moisturised and feels incredibly soft. The smell is both lightly medicinal and .. I think it smells of the Argan oil? Because it has a really nice scent that I'm not familiar with and I guess it really is the Argan oil. Nontheless I really love it. I might try the Creme de Corps and then I'll decide which one I really would keep using for the longer time. 

I forgot to swatch it, but it looks exactly as any other type of white body lotion. - And smells good of course.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner

Since it's similar to the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion I've decided not to touch it and give it to someone else. Toners that aren't alcohol free usually are harsh for my skin. I'm aware though that this one specifically IS alcohol-free yet I know it will be extra harsh because it's oil-free. Sigh.

 Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque

As you can see, this cleansing masks packaging looks slightly different from all the others. By that I mean they all look similar by the logo, text etc. But this one is missing something and that's the: for what skin type it might work.

I thought that that meant that it's for all skin types, but I was proved wrong when I used it on my face.

Firstly, I started out with a clean face when I put it on. It has a white clay colour as specified in the name (I didn't swatch it because I didn't want to waste product because it might dry by the time I took a picture). When I put it on, my skin started immediately to feel hot. I had an itching and burning sensation. I was kind of afraid that something wrong was going on. Then I noticed that the place with the long text that usually contains the names of ingredients said "...normal to oily skin types.." I knew this wasn't for me. Yet I waited the specified 10 minutes because it was already on and I couldn't really do anything. It dried and I cleaned my face with a wet towel. My face looked flushed and were still hot. By the time I used a moisturiser I felt how cooling it made my skin feel. My face were still having the burning sensation for the next 15 minutes and I kept looking in the mirror every now and then and checking for scrape marks on my face. It was very very painful.

My issue? I know that these products were sent after they had a look at our beauty profiles so that we could recieve things that fit us well. Here is a small preview og mine. And unfortunately, mine didn't work out so well. I just went in to update it into dry because I'd rather recieve something for dry skin than oily skin. 

I know that Kiehl has some really amazing products, but unfortunately I got the wrong ones that don't work out so well with me. Better luck next time, I guess..

Thank you GlamBox.

MAC: 239 Eye Shader Brush

Hi guys! How are all of you?
Today I will be reviewing a really great eyeshadow brush (and my first proper one) that has improved my eyeshadow application by a 1000%. I used to think that there was something wrong with my eyelids. No kidding! And why? Because whenever I tried to apply eyeshadow it never worked. I would sit for minutes long trying to get some colour on my lids and it was just impossible to do so. That is untill I discovered WHY. 
One of the reasons is that we all have come across (and learned the hard way) that most eye applicators that come together with eyeshadow palettes are pretty much useless. In my case it didnt just NOT pick up the colour, it also never came off the eyeshadow applicators and never went on the way I put it. Eg.  If I tried to put it in the crease area, it refused to do so and I might end up with a line or anything else awkward. Well, that's until I kicked myself to the MAC store and tried to get someting proper. The MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush.

 

The sales assistant actually told me that she had two brushes available for me. This one and another one that I reckon might be the 242 Shader Brush. The told me the differences was that this is an eyeshadow application brush and the 242 is a shading brush that just "continues the job" where 239 leaves out. Better get step 1 than 2 first, right? That I did.

 

Website claim: "Soft and dense to shade or blend eye shadow or emollient-based products. This brush has a tapered, rounded edge with smooth, firm, fine fibres. It can be used to build intense colour on the eyelid. M·A·C professional brushes are hand-sculpted and assembled using the finest quality materials. They feature wood handles and nickel-plated brass ferrules."
What I can comfirm that it does: It can and does build up an intense colour, yet it still has the shader effect rather than sharp lines. A soft look can defintely be achieved and this brush will work amazingly for the smoking look.

 

A close-up.

The brush measures as you can see - 17 cm or 6.7 inches.

Sephora Mini haul

Okay. This might me a micro haul or something. Way smaller than a mini one. But anyway, I got these stuff yesterday and I thought about sharing them? Also for the record, the other reviews are coming soon. I might be reviewing two products later today in the few hours to come. Promise.


But here is what I got yesterday.

I'm just going to mention everything from left to right from the first row to the second. I got:

- L'OCCITANE Rose Hand Cream, 30ml

- L'OCCITANE Shea Butter Hand Cream, 30ml

- Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder, 8.0g

- Benefit Lemon Aid, color correcting eyelid primer, 2.7g

- BIODERMA Photoderm MAX Cream SPF 100 sample

- The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Lipcare Stick

- L'OCCITANE Soothing Concentrated Mask sample (2pcs)

- L'OCCITANE Aromachology Soothing Conditioner sample (3pcs)

Let me just mention that L'OCCITANE are amazing french luxury products. I've always been using them religiously and they both work and make me extremely happy. Just sayin'